Group Urges Tourism Bureau In Iw

ISLE OF WIGHT — There's plenty here to attract tourists, they just needed to be encouraged to cross the water or head up the interstate.

That's the view of a group of public officials and business representatives who think Isle of Wight should open a tourism bureau.

A tourism bureau, the group said, would not only encourage more tourists to visit established sites, like historic St. Lukes' Church and downtown Smithfield, and spend their money in established restaurants and shops, but could also create an incentive for new businesses to open. The county's an ideal day drip for vacationers in Virginia Beach or Williamsburg, officials said.

The group, which first formed more than a year ago, this week asked Isle of Wight and the town of Smithfield to provide money for a bureau - one that would hopefully open this summer.

The bureau would need about $7,000 to get started, said Florine Moore, a member of the task force and vice mayor on the Smithfield Town Council.

The group is asking for $3,000 from Smithfield, $2,500 from the county, $1,000 from the Isle of Wight-Smithfield Chamber of Commerce and $500 from the town of Windsor, she said. The Board of Supervisors and the Smithfield council could consider the requests at their next meeting.

Tourism is a good industry for the county because it doesn't require a lot of tax dollars, Moore said.

``When you bring tourists in, you don't have to build more schools,'' she said.

County officials have suggested the bureau could be staffed part-time by one of its employees, said Judy Begland, the county's economic development director. That employee would likely be Begland's assistant.

The chamber of commerce has agreed to provide $1,000 and has also said it will provide the bureau with rent-free space in the old courthouse in downtown Smithfield.

``It's an economic development issue,'' said Constance Rhodes, executive director of the chamber, since tourists spend money in local stores and restaurants.

A tourism bureau would make promoting the county's attractions easier because it would focus the effort, she said.

The chamber now has a tourism committee, Rhodes said, ``but we're limited as far as time because we've other items to address, other projects.''